One of my favorites, Safety Styles, features WWII pin-up model Veronica Lake. The actress, known for her flowing long blonde peakapoo hair style, encourages working women to pin up their locks. As the boss says to one of the workers, keeping hair off your face will prevent your long locks from getting caught in a machine AND improve productivity.

I’ve used Introduction to Asbestos, 1959 (00:02:32) in lectures on environmental health. It’s eery to hear the narrator begins the clip saying “It’s just a matter of time.” He’s marveling at the geologic forces that created the “magic mineral.” The irony is not lost on me. Because of the asbestos industry’s and US government’s promotion of the deadly minerals, it was just a matter of time before it caused (and continues to cause) disease, death and a public health disaster across the globe. Worse yet is the well-financed propaganda campaign that continues to insist even today that chrysotile asbestos is safe. It is not—it is associated with multiple forms of cancer and non-malignant respiratory disease.

Mark Catlin has spent hundreds of hours combing sites to assemble this collection of film clips. Some are enlightening, some infuriating, others just plain funny (see An Industrial Hygienist on Mars, 1952 (00:00:52)). We’d love to hear how you’ll use them in presentations, classes or discussion groups. Meanwhile, here are some of Catlin’s favorites:

Celeste Monforton is a fellow in the Collegium Ramazzini; a lecturer at Texas State University; and professorial lecturer at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. She receives funding from the Public Welfare Foundation.

2 Comments

with the interest in North Korea increasing over the last few months i had a look at some of the NK made films that can be found on Youtube.proper hair cuts,military style of course, are “recommended”. there are man on the street interviews asking why that person did not have a good socialist hair cut.most answer that they have been working out of the country and not had a chance to get one yet.